US spying is not a threat to friendship

Lord Palmerston, twice prime minister of Britain, once said that a nation has no eternal allies, only eternal interests. His words ring as true today as they did 165 years ago. Suggestions that the US has been bugging offices of the EU and other western allies should shock no one. Countries have been spying on friends for millennia.

Europe’s public outrage over the latest revelations from Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, is misplaced. There are plenty of examples in recent history to show that espionage targeted at allies is nothing more nor less than business as usual. Twenty years ago the US was discovered eavesdropping on French officials during trade talks. Israel recruited Jonathan Pollard, a US government analyst, to steal military intelligence from its closest ally. And European member states, the French and British among them, have also had their secret services out there listening, gathering and analysing.

There is a fine balance to be struck when deciding whether to spy on friends. A useful relationship might be spoiled if agents are caught. But it might be legitimate for a country to look after its security interests by, for example, collecting information on an ally’s foreign relationships, including with unfriendly third parties. That has long been the diplomat’s role.

Those who threaten to derail recently launched trade talks with the US over the allegations are not just worryingly naive. They are playing a dangerous game. A deal promises to deepen economic ties and prolong western influence over global trade. But it will require tough compromises. Any seasoned negotiator knows that in such delicate talks the other side will come to the negotiating table with as much information as possible. If Europe does not want the US or anyone else to know what it is thinking, it should ensure that its defences against such intelligence gathering are more effective.

There is another risk. The furore has weakened Washington’s credibility just as it is taking a strong stand against a rising tide of cyber espionage from China. EU outrage will only give further ammunition to Chinese critics who accuse the US of double standards. However, European companies and governments have also been targets.

The EU would be making a grave mistake if it allowed this dispute over unpleasant but hardly surprising US snooping to divert attention from China’s cyber armies. Right now, that is the bigger threat.